IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,422,981
Granted Patent B2
US 11,422,981 · App. 16/379,075 · Granted Aug 23, 2022

Information management and access control in a database

Inventors: Elli Androulaki (Zürich, CH); Angelo De Caro (Zürich, CH); Gregory Neven (Rueschlikon, CH); Alessandro Sorniotti (Rueschlikon, CH)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
G06F16/1834G06F16/1824G06Q20/3829H04L9/0643H04L9/3263H04L9/50
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,422,981
App. No.
16/379,075
Granted
Aug 23, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

An example operation may include one or more of receiving a request to create a second blockchain in a network that includes a first blockchain, sending a message to one or more validating peer nodes in the network, the one or more validating peer nodes corresponding to a subset of validating peer nodes of the network that have access to the first blockchain, the message requesting authorization for the second blockchain, analyzing responses to the message from the subset of validating peer nodes, and authorizing creation of the second blockchain based on the analyzed responses.

Claims (47)

1. A system, comprising:

a first interface to access a ledger of first blockchain in a blockchain network, the first blockchain to include or reference first data to be accessed by a plurality of validating peer nodes;

a second interface to access a ledger of second blockchain in the blockchain network, the second blockchain to include or reference second data to be accessed by a subset of the plurality of validating peer nodes that have access to the first blockchain; and

a processor to;

create the second blockchain based on a message from a validating peer node, of the subset of the plurality of validating peer nodes, the message including information that identifies the subset of the plurality of validating peer nodes, and

send one or more keys to the subset of the plurality of validating peer nodes, the one or more keys to allow the subset of the plurality of validating peer nodes to access the second data in the second blockchain or to transmit information to append a block to the second blockchain.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor further is to:

create the second blockchain when a predetermined number of the validating peer nodes in the subset authorize creation of the second blockchain.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor further is to:

create the second blockchain based on instructions in a smart contract.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor further is to:

send the one or more keys in a certificate sent to each of the validating peer nodes in the subset.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor further is to:

exclude access to the second blockchain by validating peer nodes of the network that are not in the subset.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving a request to create a second blockchain in a network that includes a first blockchain;

sending a message to one or more validating peer nodes in the network, the one or more validating peer nodes corresponding to a subset of validating peer nodes of the network that have access to the first blockchain, the message requesting authorization for the second blockchain;

analyzing responses to the message from the subset of validating peer nodes; and

authorizing creation of the second blockchain based on the analyzed responses.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the request includes information that identifies the subset of validating peer nodes of the network.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the request includes a reference to a smart contract for the second blockchain.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the smart contract includes instructions to create the second blockchain.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the smart contract includes instructions to submit transactions to the second blockchain.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the request includes key material to be used by the subset of validating peer nodes to transmit or receive information or messages for the second blockchain.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

transmitting different private keys to respective ones of the validating peer nodes in the subset,

wherein the private keys are to be used with a public key in the key material when the subset of validating peer nodes submit transactions for the second blockchain.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

preventing access to the second blockchain to validating peer nodes in the network that are not included in the subset of validating peer nodes.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein preventing access includes:

withholding submission of a key to the validating peer nodes in the network that are not included in the subset of validating peer nodes.

15. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

transmitting a certificate to each validating peer node in the subset of validating peer nodes,

wherein the certificate includes key material to be used by the subset of validating peer nodes to transmit or receive information or messages for the second blockchain.

16. The method of claim 6 , wherein:

analyzing the responses includes determining a number of the subset of validating peer nodes that authorized creation of the second blockchain, and

authorizing creation of the second blockchain includes creating the second blockchain when a predetermined number of the subset of validating peer nodes authorize creation of the second blockchain.

17. The method of claim 6 , wherein:

the first blockchain stores or references first data; and

the second blockchain stores or references second data different from the first data.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

receive a request to create a second blockchain in a network that includes a first blockchain;

send a message to one or more validating peer nodes in the network, the one or more validating peer nodes corresponding to a subset of validating peer nodes of the network that have access to the first blockchain, the message to request authorization for the second blockchain;

analyze responses to the message from the subset of validating peer nodes; and

authorize creation of the second blockchain based on the analyzed responses.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the request includes information that identifies the subset of validating peer nodes of the network.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the request includes a reference to a smart contract that includes instructions to create the second blockchain.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 9, 2019
From: ANDROULAKI, ELLI; DE CARO, ANGELO; NEVEN, GREGORY; SORNIOTTI, ALESSANDRO
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 048833/0330 →
Continuity (1)
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